LED Case Materials: Epoxy vs. Acrylic and Where to Find Them

[refind]

Does anyone have any information on what the clear plastic cases (lens, capsule, w/e) are made of for LEDs? Google says it is some sort of epoxy, but I also read somewhere a while ago that sometimes it is acrylic. Is this true, and can you buy LEDs anywhere that are made of thermoplastic like acrylic, polycarbonate, etc rather than epoxy?

Thanks

 

[Simon Bridge]

I imagine the exact compound will vary a bit with manufacturer and between different LEDs. They probably vary with manufacturing runs too.

You want to be able to specify the type of plastic lens used to make an LED?

 

[refind]

I want to try an experiment with LEDs but it will only work if the material is a thermoplastic such as acrylic, polycarbonate, polystyrene etc. Epoxy is a thermosetting polymer which means it has crosslinked chains which basically means my experiment won't work.

So I need to buy LEDs which are made with a thermoplastic as mentioned above, and would like to know if such things are on the market with a reasonable availability.

 

[Bobbywhy]

refind, I am curious: How does epoxy with cross linked chains cause your experiment to not work? Do those structures affect the spectral output of the LED?

Here is a company that promises: “Max says if you don't see a LED protection encapsulant or potting material that suits your application, call DYMAX Applications Engineering for a recommendation. We have a library of over 3,000 adhesive formulations to choose from!”
http://www.dymax.com/products/electronic/led_protection/

Shin-Etsu Chemical Co., Ltd. Supplies LPS silicone encapsulating material and silicone lenses for LEDs. If they don’t supply the actual LEDs you want, perhaps one of their customers does.
http://www.shinetsu-encap-mat.jp/e/product/k_l/lds/

Cheers,
Bobbywhy

 

[Simon Bridge]

I found dymax :)
There is always filing down a stock LED and adding your own lens.